Chapter 99 — Challenge the Summit
1
Kael carefully read the words on the parchment she was holding.
Student Council President Election.
It was described as the biggest event in the first half of the year, aside from midterms, but it didn’t quite resonate with her.
Unlike regular evaluations, the Student Council President was chosen through a highly selective competition, a process that was qualitatively different.
Kael continued to absorb the rules as she read.
- The Student Council President candidate must obtain the signatures of 10 recommenders. Their class and year don’t matter.
- The candidate must undergo an in-depth interview with a professor to be selected.
- The candidate must demonstrate their combat ability through a duel with an assistant.
- The candidate must prove their suitability for the role by competing against other candidates.
- The Student Council President is obligated to defend their position once a year through a challenge.
‘This is difficult,’ she thought.
The first rule was already a major hurdle.
Nia, being from the Abrel family, could easily gather recommenders through her connections. Alano was in a similar situation.
The current 4th-year Student Council President had already established himself as a leader within a month, commanding the entire year like a monarch.
But Kael?
Was she from a noble family?
No.
Did she have a wide network of connections?
No.
Did she possess the charisma to dominate an entire grade?
Definitely not.
‘…Did I make a mistake by entering?’ she wondered, feeling a slight twinge of regret.
Come to think of it, she didn’t even have ten friends.
For Kael, the only people she had were those who climbed the tower with her.
She let out a small sigh, feeling a wave of self-doubt wash over her.
To think she’d be held back by something like this.
The concept of connections was a fickle one for her.
They had always ended poorly in the past.
But now…
“Do I have to build them from scratch…?”
Commoners.
And nobles.
While the academy claimed there was no distinction, a month of observation had shown her otherwise.
Kael was an anomaly.
Usually, nobles stuck with nobles, and commoners stuck with commoners—that was the norm.
Let’s think about this logically.
As a commoner who was often seen with nobles, what did others think of her?
Nobles likely saw her as someone who didn’t belong with them.
Conversely, commoners probably saw her as someone who played with nobles instead of her own kind.
‘What should I do…?’
Kael slowly stood up and made her way over to Melanie.
Melanie, from the start, had shown no interest in the Student Council President position. She had neatly folded the parchment and tucked it away in her bag, as if it was of no concern to her.
Melanie sensed Kael’s presence and turned to look at her.
She was aware of the situation between Kael and Anais.
They had seemed close—very close, in fact…
But life is unpredictable, isn’t it?
[Yesterday’s ally can be today’s enemy. That’s a fact not just for merchants, but universally applicable. So-]
She remembered the wisdom her father had tried to impart.
But now wasn’t the time for that.
Melanie shook off the thoughts and spoke to Kael.
“Kael, are you going to participate?”
“Yeah. I can’t just leave Anais like this.”
“You’re really kind, Kael. If it were me, I would have settled things right then and there.”
“Anais must have felt cornered. We’ve only known each other for about a month, but I can tell.”
Melanie smiled and nodded.
Kael truly had a kind heart.
Perhaps Anais had used that against her?
If it were her…
‘I keep having strange thoughts.’
Melanie shook her head slightly and reached out to take the parchment from Kael.
“Give it to me. I’ll sign it.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your support.”
Melanie smiled.
Kael didn’t know this, but Melanie intended to remain neutral.
She believed that both of them were a little at fault.
She wasn’t interested in determining the severity of their mistakes, just acknowledging the facts.
So if Anais approached her, she’d gladly sign for her as well.
Some might say that Anais had unfairly lashed out at Kael, but it was Kael who had unknowingly pressed on something Anais had been holding back.
“Do your best. With your skills, you should be able to make it to the finals.”
“Yeah, I’ll try.”
Kael looked around.
Most of the students in Class A were either reviewing their lessons or practicing magic.
Some were staring intently at the Student Council President application forms.
One student was already going around collecting signatures.
The competition had effectively begun.
Kael sighed quietly.
She decided to gather as many signatures as she could from those willing to give them.
‘Emerson, Pearson, and…’
Anais.
Her absence today felt especially significant.
Would it be impossible to return to how things were?
With a heavy heart, Kael headed toward Class B, where Emerson was.
#2
“Senior! Senior!”
“…”
Manus, who had just finished a class with Nia, looked at the panting student running toward him.
He wished he wouldn’t draw so much attention.
Standing still already attracted enough stares, putting him in a constantly tense state.
It was a first-year boy who lacked any sense of the situation and ran straight up to Manus.
“Sen, I… Huff, have… Huff… a question… Huff-!”
“Follow me.”
As much as Manus wanted to smack him on the head, he held back.
He knew what Pearson was going through.
Even in the original game, Anais and Pearson had…
Manus glanced at Pearson, who was trailing behind him, and couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Although Pearson wasn’t a macho character, he was reliable.
If there was one thing he excelled at, it was protecting others.
“Should I leave you two alone?”
Nia asked.
“Why don’t you join us? This concerns you as well.”
“…Well, I suppose.”
Nia instinctively took a step back, momentarily overwhelmed by Manus’s presence.
His impassive, handsome face had an odd power that made people feel rooted to the spot.
She was partially involved in this situation, so she had no choice but to nod in agreement.
But did Manus know about that?
There was no way Anais would have said anything, right?
With an awkward smile, Nia followed Manus.
“…We seem to come here often,”
Nia remarked.
“It’s a good spot,” Manus replied.
A cool breeze blew across the terrace.
It was the perfect place to take a break between classes.
Nia let out a soft exclamation as she walked over to the terrace railing and peered down.
Pearson hesitated before cautiously asking Manus his most pressing question.
He was primarily concerned about Anais’s whereabouts.
“Where is Anais? You didn’t trap her in the tower, did you? Or worse, something didn’t happen to her, right?”
“Don’t worry. She’s in the tower, safe and sound.”
“She’s in the tower?!”
“Yes.”
Pearson suddenly recalled the first time he had confronted Manus in the tower.
That terrifying memory was still seared into his mind.
He swallowed down his growing panic.
The Manus of that time and the Manus of now were worlds apart—there was no comparison.
Pearson had grown stronger too, but that only made him more acutely aware of the gap between them.
He suppressed the rising anxiety in his chest and cautiously asked again.
“She’s really okay, right?”
“She’s with my familiar, so yes, she’s fine.”
“Your familiar… You mean Albion? That fluffball?”
Manus nodded.
From Pearson’s perspective, it was infuriating.
Was it really safe to leave Anais with a familiar that hadn’t proven itself in combat?
Despite Manus’s reassurance, Pearson was still gripped by a deep sense of unease.
Manus couldn’t miss Pearson’s anxious expression.
He looked like a lost puppy, and Manus couldn’t resist pressing down on Pearson’s head.
“To see someone I consider a close friend looking so pathetic… I can’t help but think ‘idiot’ still suits you.”
“…But the tower is dangerous! What if she runs into a sentinel?”
“Do you think I’d leave her without a plan?”
“…”
Pearson fell silent.
Manus applied more pressure to the hand on Pearson’s head.
With his enhanced strength, courtesy of various magical and physical enhancements, Manus’s grip was far from gentle.
The pain that shot through Pearson’s skull was likely a first for a mage.
A strange, wailing sound filled the air.
“Ahhh! Senior! My brain isn’t that tough! I don’t have much knowledge in there! Please, have mercy! Ahhhh-!”
“Then keep quiet and wait. That’s the best support you can offer.”
“…Yes, senior.”
With Pearson’s curiosity satisfied, Manus prepared to head to his next class.
“Wait, what happens if you enter the tower alone and don’t come out?”
“You get trapped in the rift. You’ll be stuck between days, skipping from one to the next.”
“Wouldn’t that be a huge waste of time?”
“On the other hand, you could gather a ton of mana stones.”
“I see…”
Nia’s expression shifted slightly.
It was the look of a cat that had found a new toy to play with.
Her pupils, slitted like a feline’s, widened slightly.
Seeing her expression, Manus issued a stern warning.
“Don’t even think about entering the tower alone without ‘adequate preparation.’ It’s far more dangerous than it seems.”
“That’s funny, coming from the person who just told me not to worry.”
“That’s because there was adequate preparation.”
With that, Manus left the terrace.
Nia pouted slightly and muttered to herself.
“Geez, he really does act like he knows everything.”
“He probably does,”
Pearson unexpectedly chimed in.
“…Sure, he might know more than me, but-.”
“Manus was the one who first discovered the tower, the one who climbs it as easily as walking into his own home, the one who knows the sentinels’ weaknesses, and the one who teaches us those weaknesses, right?”
“…Is that so?”
Nia suddenly recalled their previous tower climbs.
The precise briefings, the pinpoint exploitation of weaknesses, the masterful use of advanced magic without relying on high-class spells—Manus lacked nothing.
And that led her to a strange thought.
‘But how does he know all that?’
It was almost as if he had fought those enemies countless times.
It was definitely suspicious.
If you think about it, wasn’t it strange that none of them questioned it?
Nia tapped her lips with her finger, deep in thought.
This was dangerous.
‘At some point, I need to ask him directly.’
What if Manus had malicious intentions?
What if he was using gaslighting to build an army of followers?
Why were these people so naive? Was it because they were still first-years?
Then why was Alano going along with it?
Everything was so unclear.
Nia’s thoughts became more and more tangled.
The flickering flames of doubt had not been extinguished; they were simply waiting for new fuel.
And new connections always brought new crises.
Nia’s expression darkened.
–TL Notes–
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